I keep a zip lock in my jacket for my phone...
Really how your bike acts in the rain depends on your tires and suspension set up. You will not be able to get the tires as hot so they wont stick as well, also the painted lines on the road will be like ice, avoid if possible.

Get good all season tires and set your suspension up for your body weight and riding style.

 

+1+1+1

Rear brake is even more important when traction is an unknown variable. When I ride in the rain, I test traction with the rear brake before using the front brake. It's habit from riding non-abs bikes. The rear locking unexpectedly because of low / no traction is easier and safer to deal with than the front doing the same.

I can recover from a fishtail in progress. Nobody has ever told me of a way to recover from a low side in progress

 

You shouldn't move around on the bike as much. When in the dry, I'll move around quite a bit, but I don't move at all in the rain. Keep a relaxed and neutral riding position. Less throttle, less brake, ride further ahead of you than you do in the dry, etc. Its basic stuff really.

And have confidence. The bike can do you, and so can you. Don't flip out.

 

Kuroshio, I totally had this same thought after my experience the other day... It's definitely my plan to get at least some rain experience now. In fact it's raining today, and I am switching out my CCT... May need to take a little test ride after

 

Actually, they tell you how in Twist of the Wrist.


Two most important things for riding in quesionable or low traction conditions. And they both have to do with being smooth on the bike.

1. Throttle control. Believe it or not, throttle control is one of the most important parts of how a bike handles. Ease on, ease off. Do not chop or grab the throttle, be nice and smooth and 90% of your problems are taken care of.

2. Be relaxed, stay loose on the bars. All your stability should come from your lower body, which allows your upper body to freely control the bike properly. So relax your hands and arms, grab the bike with your thighs and keep loose and relaxed. The bike has the ability to stabilize itself, but not if you're fighting it by being tense, so staying loose on the bars will keep the shiny side up even if you do lose traction in either the front or rear.

I've had both the front and rear tires wash out on me before, but by maintaining good throttle control and being loose and relaxed on the bars I haven't had any issues.



*A lot of what the other guys are saying is good too, like being gentle on the brakes, riding a gear higher than usual to keep the RPMs down and not fidgeting in the saddle too much. All of which tie into the whole "smooth riding" thing I'm getting at. The smoother your control and operation of the bike is, the more stable it will be.

 

As Kuroshio said, go ride in the rain now...before you have to, it'll take the pressure off and it'll actually make you a better rider.

It forces you to slow down, which gives you more time to set things up for a corner. After a couple of hours riding in the rain, you'll be amazed how much your technique has improved!

In the dry all we're worried about is how fast we're going (and then you're riding to your mental limits). Wet conditions,give you the time to ride with you're brain still still functioning.

 

I do a lot of riding in the rain. From sometime in April until sometime in October motorcycles are my primary means of transportation. Unless I'm making a trip to pick something up that requires me to take the truck, I'm on a bike. I realize that for people in the south that's not all that much, but these dates normally have me both leaving in the mornings at below freezing temperatures as well as riding home at below freezing temperatures, and sometimes includes some riding in the snow. Riding in the snow is much like riding in the rain, just worse .

In general, there is more traction available than people think on a motorcycle. A good starter on this can be found on Steve's site. One of the best things I ever did to get me comfortable in the rain was to do a track day in the rain. It is really surprising how far you can actually push things without sliding. Of course you need to be much more cautious on the street, as conditions are much more variable, but the capabilities are quite impressive.

A couple people have mentioned smooth and lose. Both very good descriptions of how one should ride in the rain. I would argue with the moving around part, however. I do agree that you shouldn't be needlessly wiggling around, but smooth movements from side to side (using your legs, not your arms) is actually beneficial. By getting you body weight to the inside of the turn you can allow the bike to stay more upright. Amazingly the bike will generally do just fine in almost any situation. It's the silly human trying to force it to do something else that is the cause of most single bike accidents .

Another thing that I do, and you may hear lots of advice against this, is to rain-x my shield. Ohh, it could yellow my shield. Ohh, it can make my shield brittle. I generally replace my shield at least yearly anyway, and some manufacturers actually recommend it see Customer Service | HJC MOTORSPORTS and click on the shield care tab. I figure being able to see is worth the possibility that I'll need to replace my shield (which I'll do anyway) .

Pic from the "touring hawk" I rented this spring in Europe.

 

I enjoy riding in the rain. Slowing everything down, thinking ahead and making it all smooth can be quite Zen. Having the right gear on so you are comfortable is a must though. Going back to the dry after a few days of wet riding is a great confidence boost. I see a lot of ads for bike being sold that say the bike was never ridden in the rain. I understand the appeal to a buyer but I always feel like whoever owns the bike has missed out on opportunities to learn.

nhpoke - just read that article by Steve Munden, found it interesting. I also agree about track days in the wet, fantastic way of getting comfortable in the wet and also improving your riding skills.

 

Most of the bases have been covered, but one thing I can give you as a tip is use exaggerated body position. The more you hang off, the less lean angle you're using. You may feel silly hanging off of the bike like that on the street, but when it's raining you want to keep the bike upright as much as possible.

Also, keep in mind that "warm" rain is completely different from "cold" rain. Where you can actually get some heat in your tires when it's raining and ambient temps are like 65+ degrees Fahrenheit, cold rain will keep your tires colder than a well diggers **** hole.

 

I wrote an article back in 2007 for Motorcycle Mojo Magazine (which I still write for) on riding in the rain. Hopefully you can find some more useful info in it

http://www.mistihurst.com/files/M_A_07.pdf

Misti